1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to video interphone system and to wired or wireless control, including IR and RF, used for remotely operating AC switches and AC powered electrical devices and appliances.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Wired or wireless remote control devices including InfraRed (IR) or RF transmitter for remotely operating AC powered electrical appliances such as television receivers, home heaters, air conditioners, motorized curtains, lighting and other electrical appliances in homes, apartments, offices and buildings in general are switched on and off by a one way control or command signal, with the person operating the remote control device verifying the on or off status of the operated device by visual means, such as the TV is on, or the lights are off, or the air condition unit is activated or not, by being at the site of the operated appliance. Most of the remote control devices, including IR or wireless remote control devices use the same power key to switch the appliance on and off, therefore without the operating person's self verification on site, with most of currently available remote control devices it is impossible to positively verify the on-off power status without being at the appliance site.
On the other hand home automation relay devices, operated via two way communication signals can be updated with the relay's status by a returned status signal. The problem such system represents is the cost for customizing of the AC electrical wiring, coupled with the on-off switching devices which are expensive and require expertise to configure, install and setup. One reason is that the wiring systems that are used for the light's (or other appliances) on-off switches do not include the neutral wire of the AC mains. The commonly wired electrical systems provide only two wires for the switches, the AC live or hot wire and the load wire that leads to the light fixture or other appliance. Similar two only traveler wires are used for connecting several switches that are tied up to switch on-off the same light or other appliance.
The “two only AC wires” with no neutral wire at the switch's electrical box, prevent simple introduction of home automation, requiring changes to the commonly used electrical wiring, and to the wide range of commonly used electrical AC switches and the AC outlets that are offered in large variety of shapes, designs and colors. The introduction of new electrical wirings and new switches and outlets to replace the currently available electrical switches and outlets is complicated, time consuming, troublesome and costly.
Moreover, AC power devices that are directly connected to live AC power lines within the buildings must be tested to comply with electrical safety laws, rules and regulation and obtain approval and certification by organizations such as the UL in the USA, VDE or TUV in Europe, BS in the UK and similar organizations in other countries. The testing and approval processes are costly and time consuming, which makes approvals of customs designed AC electrical switches, AC electrical outlets and AC electrical interfaces for home automation out of reach to the mass market, limiting the proliferation of the much needed home automation to only custom designed AC switches, outlets and interfaces, for use in very expensive homes.
The significance with remote controlling of home automation systems is the ability to switch electrical appliances on and off remotely via PCs through the Internet, via mobile telephones and/or via other PDA devices. The problem however for such remote controlling is the need for a verified on-off status of the appliances being operated and/or the availability of a status report covering all the remotely controlled appliances of a given house, office, apartment or a building. Many existing home automation systems and devices operate over wired or wireless home network, using variety of complex communication protocols, such as the known X10 protocol via AC power line, as well as currently being formulated “Zigbee” standard for wireless communications and/or other Bluetooth communications through a single controller, or plurality of controllers, including control devices such as keypads and/or LCD displays and/or touch screen devices. Similarly, such method and apparatuses for integrating remote control devices with video interphone systems and shopping terminals are also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,290,702 dated Nov. 6, 2007, U.S. application Ser. No. 11/509,315 dated Aug. 24, 2006 and U.S. application Ser. No. 11/874,309 dated Oct. 10, 2007 (applied concurrently).
As explained in the above referenced U.S. applications, most of all television, home theater and sound equipment are operated by a dedicated, individually coded as programmed by the different manufactures, none of which is compatible with other appliances or between manufacturers. Further, literally all the dedicated IR remote control devices generate one way commands to the appliance, incorporating no IR receiver for a returned confirmation. This combination of non compatibility in commands, codes, protocols, frequencies and others on one hand, and with no receiving function to confirm the basic on-off status of the appliance on the other, makes it impossible to integrate standard appliances into an error free home automation system operated from a distance, such as via the Internet.
Similarly, known universal IR remote control devices that are offered in the market for controlling different electrical appliances contain the codes and other particulars of a long list of appliances by the different manufacturers. Some of the universal remote control devices include an IR receiver for recording the codes of a device not included in the universal remote control original program, but not for receiving a return code from the appliance itself. Moreover, the known appliances do not include an IR transmitter to generate return confirmation, such as an executed command, nor do the appliances provide an on-off or other AC current drain status data via IR or other communications.